The Stayers’ Hurdle: the most competitive horse race in 2021?

Horse racing fans don’t have much to watch for the rest of the year in the US. The main races happen in May, June, and November. For the remainder of the year, they should turn their attention to overseas action.

As 2020 nears its end, the attention of racing fans worldwide will begin to set on England’s Cheltenham Festival.

The March event is the pinnacle for jumps fans around the world, as the biggest names in the sport compete for the biggest prizes up for grabs.

The 2021 meeting promises to be no different. One of the races that will immediately catch the imagination is the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle.

History of the Stayers’ Hurdle

The Stayers’ Hurdle is typically one of the most competitive races of the four-day meeting and is the pinnacle race of the season of long-distance hurdlers. It will be the main event on the Thursday of the meeting. It will once again be part of a magical hour, which also involves the Ryanair Chase.

The Stayers’ Hurdle is open to horses at least four years of age. The Hurdle takes place on the three-mile New Course. Twelve fences are on the track to jump over throughout the course. It has been one of the most eye-catching races since its introduction in 1912.

The first run of the race took place at Prestbury Park. At the time, the prize purse was just £100, with the runner-up receiving £10.

The race was not part of the Festival on two separate occasions. There was a sabbatical of the event until its reintroduction in 1972. It would land a more permanent Thursday slot on a Thursday in 1993. Since then, it has become more and more popular.

It was renamed the World Hurdle for a short time in 2005. In 2015, Ryanair would change the name once again. Since then, Sun Bets have also sponsored the race, but this year’s race will be sponsored by Paddy Power.

Iconic winners of the race

The race has always captured the imagination of racing fans. There have been some iconic winners of the Stayers’ Hurdle. Big Buck’s would defy odds to win the race on four consecutive occasions between 2009 and 2012, with Ruby Walsh riding all four of the wins. Walsh is the most successful jockey in this race, as he recorded a fifth success onboard Nichols Canyon in 2017.

Recent winners include Thistlecrack, who won the race in 2016, and Penhill, who won the race in 2018. Last year’s winner was Lisnagar Oscar, who won the race at 50/1, which was the biggest priced winner of the race of all-time. However, the 2019 winner, Paisley Park remains the most popular recent winner and will be looking for another heartwarming success in 2021.

A competitive race field for 2021 Stayers’ Hurdle

Nothing came close to the magical hour of racing that fans got in 2019 on Stayers’s Hurdle day.

Frodon more than played his part by delivering Bryony Frost a first Grade 1 for a female jockey at the Festival in the Ryanair Chase, but Paisley Park was the moment that touched millions.

It showcases just how brilliant racing can be, as Andrew Gemmell’s bond with his horse was felt far and wide.

Gemmell was born blind. However, his connection with Paisley Park was almost like a second push that the horse would need to win the Stayers’ Hurdle in 2019.

However, like all sports, it’s never easy being at the top of the field. That was felt last year, as the beloved horse would stutter to seventh.

Still, regaining the prestigious honor will be the aim this year, and a second-place finish in the Ladbrokes Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury recently only whet the appetite.

That day at Newbury highlights how brilliant the Stayers’ Hurdle could be in 2021, as the winner was eventually the new kid on the block, Thyme Hill.

The six-year-old has now won four from five starts and is a serious threat to the Stayers’ Hurdle title. But, judging from that race at Newbury, there could be a brilliant renewal of this new rivalry in March, and it will make for captivating viewing.

Final thoughts

There you have some reasons for American horse racing fans to tune in to March action in England’s Cheltenham Festival.

And if you can’t wait for May’s Kentucky Derby, the highlight of the annual global horse racing calendar, click here to see the contenders profiling: https://www.twinspires.com/kentuckyderby/contenders

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